Sunglasses: Bet you didn't know this!
Are Designer Sunglasses Worth the Price?
Excerpts:
Before you spend big money on your next pair of designer shades, here are six things you should know:
- Most sunglasses are made by the same company: Do you prefer the "quality" of Ray-Ban to Oakley? Do you think Bulgari is better than Dolce & Gabbana, or Salvatore Ferragamo is better than Prada? Wake up. They're all made by one company, Italian manufacturer Luxottica–one of the biggest consumer companies that consumers have never heard of. Luxottica also makes sunglasses branded Burberry, Chanel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith, Stella McCartney, Tiffany, Versace, Vogue, Persol, Miu Miu, Tory Burch and Donna Karan.
"We manufacture about 70% of those brands in our factories in Italy, and the balance in America and China," says Luxottica spokesman Luca Biondolillo. "We do the design, the manufacturing, and the marketing," he adds. The company makes most of those brands under license, working closely with designers at the relevant fashion houses. But it owns several brands itself, including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Oliver Peoples and REVO- In many cases, the same company is also selling you the glasses. Luxottica also owns LensCrafters, Pearle Vision and Sunglass Hut.
- The markups are as big as they seem
- Those expensive sunglasses may not be any better for your eyes, either
- An inexpensive pair of sunglasses from the pharmacy isn't the worst thing in the world
- Those fancy glasses are really costing you a lot more than you realize
Comment - could be a good investment: Luxottica Group SpA (LUX). Kathee (my uber-financially conservative wife) has a cheap gas station variety pair of sunglasses that are probably 5 years old. I have an old pair of prescription sunglasses. Image: Tom Cruise in Ray Bans
